Sometimes we get it in our minds that if we could only get that one major victory, we’d be at peace. Our faith would be on cruise control because we’d need only to look to our spectacular success for comfort. Nothing we’d face could shake us. But even the prophet Elijah ran away and isolated himself after a heroic display.
With his latest book of the same title, Pastor Erwin McManus shared the message, “The Way of the Warrior.” He pointed out that our internal battle with anxiety, fear, doubt or any mental illness can be detrimental to our external reality and our fight for peace. Our challenge is to resist the urge to follow the path our negative thought patterns would lead us down.
If Elijah's story tells us anything, it's that we're not exempt from experiencing insecurity, even after our wins. Yes, it's possible to struggle with inner peace, but it doesn't have to be a sign of weakness. In our darkest moments, the God of Peace whispers that he will fight the battle for us, we only need to trust him. Once we do, we're free to boldly share the state of our minds in community and get the restoration needed. With that comes hope for a new and much better day ahead.